My portable plaid table came from a street fair. It looks like a suitcase when closed and has leather straps inside. Is this a real find?

W.G., Purdys, New York

What it is: 1950s Picnic Basket Table

In the middle of the 20th century, printed tin picnic baskets began to compete with the traditional wicker versions that preceded them, and this unusual piece, which converts into a portable table, comes from that era. Although there is no label or identifying mark, the vibrant Scotch plaid and turned pine legs suggest that it was made in the 1950s, possibly by the Thermos company, which produced color-coordinated beverage and food-storage containers. Its fitted interior would have held serving pieces for six to 12 people, and their absence reduces its value by at least 75 percent.